


With You By My Side

by CookieMonster17 (orphan_account)



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Age Difference, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Anchor!Eliza, Bucky Barnes Needs a Hug, Civil War Team Iron Man, Eliza changes Bucky's story, Eventual Relationships, F/M, Getting Back Together, Hydra (Marvel), Jealous Natasha Romanov, Jealous Steve Rogers, Magic, Memory Alteration, Past Relationship(s), Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Post-Serum Steve Rogers, Protective Bucky Barnes, Slow Burn, Team Bucky, Unrequited Love, Winter Soldier Bucky Barnes, present day
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-17
Updated: 2016-12-27
Packaged: 2018-09-09 02:38:49
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,132
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8872507
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/CookieMonster17
Summary: HYDRA dabbled in the mystic arts for a while, and the result was that, in 1954, the daughter of a Hydra bioengineer and The Asset were bound together - Eliza Müller as the immortal anchor and Bucky Barnes as the enhanced soldier. This changed everything - The Winter Soldier couldn’t help falling for her over and over again and she couldn’t help saving him, from simple things like a bullet to manipulative HYDRA agents.--- Set after CA: CW (with some necessary changes), Tony Stark rescues Eliza from HYDRA and then begins the arduous journey to fix things, starting with reuniting Bucky and Eliza, and bringing the Avengers back to US soil. Along the way, he befriends Eliza and things get better, as she gets it through his thick genius brain that he deserves better.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Now, to be clear - I've never read the comics, this fic is based in the movies and all the information I will use in this fic will be mostly fictional. I will try to stick to the facts I know, but most of this will be fictional. 
> 
> So please bear with me! 
> 
> I also changed the story as per my beta's suggestions, so the story will take place in the present with flashbacks. I'm sorry, that changed the entire concept of the story, but I hope you like this new version as well!
> 
> Hope you enjoy the story :)

/ February 24th, 1954 /

 

A man was lying on the table while scientists hustled around the laboratory anxiously. His chest was bare and he had a metal arm where his left arm should be. His hair was longer than she was accustomed to seeing, reaching barely above his jaw. His features were definitely American - there was just no mistaking him for a German or a Soviet soldier. There were other people present, who were clearly not scientists, dressed in clothes that resembled her mother’s nightclothes, in front of floating, glowing golden red symbols - symbols that formed a circle around the man.

She looked at the symbols closely - she had heard of the magic some people in her neighborhood practiced, but it was the first time she had seen those rumors confirmed. The golden and red light they projected drew her attention. 

The symbols were slowly burning themselves into her mind, eliminating her surroundings and she couldn’t think of anything but the symbols in front of her. She found herself unconsciously walking towards the table. Her attention snapped to the man, the symbols and the man becoming one in her mind. 

Everyone ignored her, even as she walked towards the floating symbols, not even noticing as she brushed past her father, until she was next to the table, unable to tear her eyes away from the man’s face, her green eyes drinking in his handsome features hungrily.

People were talking around her, but she didn’t pay them any mind. She couldn’t think about anyone or anything except this man surrounded by the symbols. 

She reached out, her hand shaking, and touched the man’s chest, firm and muscled under her small hand. She didn’t notice as a bright white light began shimmering under her hand, on the man’s skin. Her eyes began to itch, but she ignored the sensation. It was secondary to the man in front of her. 

“What is she doing? Get her out of here!” A man shouted, but it sounded so distant. 

A hand roughly grabbed her elbow and threw her to the ground, but as her hand left the man’s skin, the bright light filled the room, mimicking the light from an explosion. Everyone was knocked to the ground next to her - even the symbols disappeared. She closed her eyes, the bright light and the itch becoming unbearable.

When the light faded, she opened her eyes and blinked furiously, trying to get rid of the spots in her vision. The itch in her eyes was finally gone. She could hear people groaning around her, and her mind cleared. 

Horror filled her as she realized what she had just done. 

As she was berating herself mentally over her actions and lamenting the fact that she would probably be severely beaten when she got home by her parents - or who knows, maybe they would be furious enough to do it now - she missed the man getting up from the table until he was standing in front of her. 

She looked up with trepidation and her eyes connected with icy blue eyes. She couldn’t identify the emotions in them, but he offered her his hand. 

The flesh and bones one, not the metal one. 

She eyed his hand warily, but deciding she wouldn’t be able to get into more trouble than she already was, she took his hand. 

The contact sent a rush of heat through her body. Dizzy from the sensation, she collapsed into his arms.


	2. Call Me Tony

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eliza is rescued from HYDRA by Iron Man, War Machine and Vision. Rhodey knocks her out.

/ Present Day / 

 

Eliza sighed as an agent set a tray with food in front of her. She was sitting cross-eyed on the bed, her wrist chained to the bed. 

She thanked him quietly, receiving only a leer and a grunt in response. She kept her head down, not making eye contact purposefully. 

“Toilet break after an hour.” the agent said with a thick accent. She couldn’t place it. Swedish? 

“Thank you.” She repeated, raising her head slightly to be eye level with the agent’s gun on his hip. Her mind ran with various different scenarios. 

#1: She would try to get it and get smacked around for her attempt. 

#2: She would actually be able to get her hands on it, but she would be on the floor with a few broken bones in less than a minute. 

#3: The impossible scenario, where she would actually be able to gain the upper hand and escape her cell. 

But then what? She couldn’t possibly be able to fight or evade all the agents or get out of the facility alive, especially with her current condition.

HYDRA had never wanted her to learn anything that would be detrimental to them. The ability to fight or defend herself had been one of them, since her only use was to maintain the Winter Soldier’s health and strength.

“Eyes down.” The agent grunted. 

She complied, lowering her eyes. Irritation swelled up in her like a giant wave - directed, perhaps unfairly, at Bucky. 

It was his fault she was in this situation. HE had left her behind, HE had gotten himself hurt, HE was in cryo again. 

Did he even remember her? 

Or did he just not care?

Her eyes welled up with angry tears, but she resolutely kept her head down and grabbed the plastic spoon and dipped it into the soup. 

She had eaten no more than a few spoonfuls when the sounds of an explosion nearby made her pause. 

Bucky?

She immediately berated herself for the thought. She could feel Bucky was frozen, she knew he couldn’t be behind the attacks on the facility. Maybe Captain America would do it for his best friend, but she was certain he wouldn’t know of her existence if Bucky was in cryo. Especially since Bucky hadn’t come for her all these years after the fall of SHIELD.

She looked down at her food and rolled her eyes. Stale bread, a bowl of soup and yogurt. Nothing made you lose weight like being under the “gentle and loving” care of HYDRA. 

The explosions were now accompanied by shouts and gunshots. The agent was shifting restlessly while Eliza chewed slowly and carefully. 

The sounds were getting closer and now, even Eliza was becoming nervous. Whoever was attacking, would they spare her? Would they free her? 

She kept eating in that calm way that she knew would put the agent on edge in this situation, barely suppressing a smirk.

The agent growled in annoyance and strode over to the door. He pounded on the door and shouted. “What is going on?!” 

She held in the urge to scoff. The door was locked, it could only be opened from the outside and it looked like the guards outside would be too preoccupied to even think about opening the door unless it was an evacuation. 

The door flew off its hinges with a metallic clang, the agent trapped underneath. They landed a few feet in front of her and she looked up in alarm. 

She cursed inwardly when she saw the red and gold suit of armor. 

The Iron Man suit, made and used by Tony Stark. 

Tony Stark, the son of Howard and Maria Stark. The man Bucky orphaned all those years ago.

Oh, she was so dead. 

She kept her eyes on the suit’s movement, watching as it made its way into the door. The agent was groaning in pain under the door, shifting restlessly. 

Behind Tony Stark’s suit came another metallic suit, this time painted in dark colors (grey or black, she couldn’t tell). Iron Man and the War Machine. She cursed her rotten luck. 

They were both staring at her, she could tell. Their glowing white eyes were trained on her and their face plates remained in place. 

She raised her hands hesitantly, trying to look weak and defenseless. Oh, who was she kidding, she obviously was. The chain linking the handcuffs rattled, making her wince. 

Stark walked towards her. “Stretch the chain.” 

The voice was mechanical and distorted, but she listened all the same. She raised her arm so the chain was stretched and away from her body. 

Stark raised his arm and fired a blast. Her arm jerked from the expected but powerful blast and she winced at the strain on her left shoulder.

The rest of her arm was numb. Like it had been for 42 days already. 

She glanced at her surroundings and, taking a chance, she darted under Stark’s outstretched arm and tried to make a run for it.

She didn’t get very far, only halfway across the room, when something hard hit the side of her head.

She was unconscious before she even hit the floor. 

 

__________________

 

Tony Stark was seated in front of her (very comfortable) bed, looking very serious. “What’s your name?” 

She rolled her eyes, crossing her legs underneath. She wasn't going to say anything to the man that was probably hunting down Bucky.

“About the handcuffs, they’re a necessary precaution. After all, I don’t want you to go apeshit on my ass.” Stark gestured to her. 

The handcuffs were wrapped around her wrists with a long chain between them, and an even longer chain connecting the handcuffs to the bedpost. 

“Ah and Doc checked you earlier.” Stark nodded thoughtfully. “Apparently, you have all the recorded injuries of the Winter Soldier for the past six months. He dressed your wounds, bandaged your ribs and gave you some medicine. It should be… here. You have to take them after every meal.” 

He held out a bunch of boxes with his hand - the one that was not in a sling. She took them, examining his wounds.

“It takes long to heal.” She said plainly, studying the cuts and bruises on his face.. 

“Don’t I know it…” He agreed easily. “Anyway, the UN agreed that you should stay with me for the time being, while we get a lead on Barnes and all.” 

“You already know where they are.” She tilted her head. “Why have you not reported them yet?” 

Stark smiled blandly. “I don’t know. I have my suspicions but I haven’t confirmed anything.” 

With a sigh, he stood up. “Well, you can’t just roam around freely but FRIDAY is here if you need anything. Right, Fri?” 

“Of course Boss.” A female voice sounded from the ceiling. She startled visibly and Stark burst out laughing. 

“What -” 

Before she even finished her question, Stark interrupted her. “AI - Artificial Intelligence. She’s like my - ah - assistant of sorts. No body, just voice.” 

She wondered at that explanation - just how brilliant was this man? 

“Anyway, I’ll let you get settled in and I’ll be back with food.” He smiled and she tentatively returned it. 

“Thank you… Stark.” She said hesitantly. 

“Call me Tony. “ He said simply. 

As he turned to leave, Eliza had a strange impulse and she couldn’t resist blurting out. “Eliza. My name is Eliza.” 

He turned around. “Get some rest, Eliza.” 

With that, he left her in the spacious room with the big bed and an incredible view of New York.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Thanks for reading ;) and let me know what you think! 
> 
> Eliza seems really ... idk, the opposite of sassy? right now, but there's a reason! I think...
> 
> Anyway, hope you enjoyed it!


	3. Thinking

 

 

/ Present Day /

 

 

 

 

Eliza was looking up at the ceiling, bored out of her mind. Tony had promised to come back with food, probably in the morning, but she couldn’t fall asleep.

Could she really trust Tony? The man was a genius, he could probably figure out a way to reverse the bond and kill Bucky through her. It wasn’t impossible, she decided, if they could be bound in the first place.

She berated herself for telling him her name - any information, no matter how small, could be harmful to Bucky.

After all… all he ever wanted to do was protect her.

 

  
_She gasped as she was yanked backwards into somebody’s chest and a knife was pressed to the side of her neck. She resisted the urge to struggle or even gulp, feeling the sharp blade too close for comfort._

_There was shouting as the agents scrambled to adapt to this new situation. The situation where she was held hostage._

_“Come any closer and I’ll kill her!” Her father snarled._

_Her father._

_She felt tears dripping down her face as she suppressed a sob. Her father?_

_“Dr. Müller. What are you doing?” Dr. Zola made his way through the agents and stopped a few feet in front of us._

_“You killed Heather.” Heinz said resolutely. Eliza’s eyes widened. “You killed her so I would come work for you. You sent the Winter Soldier after her and killed her! My wife!”_

_Eliza’s eyes searched ML’s worried face. Was it true?_

_“And holding your daughter hostage is going to help you… how?” Dr. Zola sneered._

_“I’d rather kill her with my own hands than let my daughter be that murderer’s bitch.” Heinz snarled._

_“Soldat.” Dr. Zola ordered. Eliza’s eyes widened and she started to struggle as Blue reached for her and her father began to panic._

_She let out a scream of pain when the knife buried itself into her neck and she fell forward on her knees, absently noting her father had let go of her._

_There was a thud behind her, followed by shouts and movement but Eliza couldn’t focus on anything other than the blinding pain in her neck._

_A gun clattered to the ground and then someone grabbed her shaking hands and gently pried them from the knife. The tingle helped her calm down and through her tears, she could see his worried face, his eyes trained on her neck._

_“Father…” She choked out. He tugged her forward and wrapped his arms around her, lifting her easily._

 

 

The unexpected warmth and weight of the chain between her handcuffs snapped her back to reality. Her body was as cold as a corpse, which wasn’t something new, despite being buried underneath fuzzy blankets.

She didn’t realize she was unconsciously clutching the side of her neck, where a faint scar remained.

“I’m surprised you don’t have more scars.”

She scrambled to sit up and face the door, where Tony Stark was leaning. He was watching her curiously.

“Woah, woah. Calm down.” He raised his hands in surrender and leaned away from the door, but didn’t move from his place.

She huffed at him, rearranging her pillow to sit leaning on the bed headboard.

“What are you talking about?” She asked him, steadily meeting his eyes.

“I thought you’d have more scars. You know, with the whole anchor thing.” He repeated, waving his hands around.

She raised an eyebrow, unimpressed.

“Is this you trying to find out more information?” She accused.

“No, I’m just being my overly curious little self. You know, science is my forte, but magic? It’s a working progress.”

She sighed and decided to answer his previous question. “I only get scars when I get the wounds myself, not when Bucky gets them.”

“So he doesn’t have any scars? That’s a really sweet deal for him.” Tony scanned her face. “His injuries don’t last, he doesn’t get any scars, the pain is momentary… nothing long-term then.”

She pressed her lips, thinking about the metal arm.

“What?” He scrunched his nose. “Did I get it wrong or something?”

“No.” She squashed down her feelings and put on a blank face. “You got it.”

His eyes searched her face. She stubbornly maintained her silence.

“Get some rest.” He said with a note of finality, and turned on his heel to leave. The door closed gently behind him.

She sighed, her blank mask dropping to an expression of sincere exhaustion.

Did she regret it? No, she didn’t.

She had to protect Bucky.

She massaged her left arm hesitantly. Her arm was too numb to even register the touch of her right hand.

“Oh Bucky, what have you done…” She sighed out loud.

 

 

 

 

_-_-_-_

 

 

 

Tony Stark was not a happy genius.

He had been in his workshop, trying to work on his gauntlets, but he couldn't concentrate enough. So he had decided to kill two birds with one stone, as they say, and went to visit the girl. 

Eliza, he corrected himself. 

She looked young, barely over 20. She didn't look German or Russian - in fact, her features were very much American, as perfect as Rogers'. Blue eyes, straight blond hair. Pale skin, flawless but for the scars. Thin and exhausted, so alike to the way Tony had looked a week after Siberia.

Steve. He couldn't prevent the lump that formed in his throat at the thought of the super soldier. The soldier who left him behind in Siberia after protecting the man who killed his parents. The man who lied to him about his parents' murder for three years, give or take.

 

_"He's my friend."_

Those words haunted him, even after all these weeks. 

Rhodey had said that a month wasn't enough for some people to stop grieving. He also said Rogers and their previous friendship didn't deserve being mourned.

Tony didn't know if Rhodey was right. 

 

But even going to see Eliza and talking to her didn't help his troubled mind.

She didn't trust him, that much he could tell. Her face had gone blank after he had brought up the topic, but he had been able to read the concern hidden in her expressionless face. 

She wouldn't be very good at poker, he thought with a chuckle. She would hold her cards close to her but her eyes would give her away. 

Why didn't Barnes come for her? Tony had found her in a HYDRA base but Barnes had been evading HYDRA and Rogers for a few years. 

He sighed. Too many questions, too little information.

 

He had first seen proof of the bond in Siberia. He had heard about the apparent invulnerability of the Winter Soldier before but it had been something else to see it in action. In Siberia, he had injured Barnes more than once and he had seen his wounds disappear in record time - much faster than Rogers or Thor's healing factor. 

He had landed on his back - his grunt of pain and the lack of movement had indicated that he had broken several bones with the fall, if not died. Of course, he had later gotten up, no sign of his previous injuries, and had then tried to rip out his arc reactor. 

Blowing off his arm had been the only injury that he didn't seem to be able to recuperate from instantly, but even that hadn't mattered. Rogers and Barnes had walked out together, after all. Leaving him in his broken suit behind. 

When he was finally cleared for action, what remained of the Avengers (Rhodey, Vision and him) had stormed every HYDRA base he could find. Even then, he couldn't find any information on either of them. It appeared that whoever Zemo had killed to get his information had taken all the information Tony wanted.

"Boss, Ms. Potts is here." 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uuuuh... Pepper is here!   
> Next chapter, we'll see what Pepper and Tony have to say to each other ;)   
> Hope you liked this chapter! :)


End file.
